BULLYING IS A BEHAVIOR THAT CAN LEAD TO DANGEROUS, SOMETIMES DEADLY OUTCOMES. NO PARENT WANTS THEIR CHILD TO BE A TARGET. TONIGHT, 12 NEWS THEMA PONTON GOES ON ASSIGNMENT FOR SOME AGE OLD ANCIENT ADVICE ABOUT WHAT PARENTS CAN DO TO PROTECT THEIR CHILDREN. BULLYING DOESN'T JUST HAPPEN WHEN STUDENTS ARE FACE TO FACE .. ATTACKS VIA SOCIAL MEDIA, TEXTING, EVEN GAMING MEAN IT CAN CONTINUE LONG AFTER SCHOOL IS OVER. SO HOW DO YOU STOP IT? ONE LOCAL MARTIAL ARTS INSTRUCTOR SAYS THE TARGETS OF BULLYING HAVE THE ANSWER WITHIN. "ONE, UH! TWO, UH! THREE, UH!" EIGHTH GRADER CAMERON SPIVA AND HIS CLASSMATES FROM LUTHERAN SPECIAL SCHOOL AND EDUCATION SERVICES ARE KICKING AND PUNCHING THEIR WAY TO SELF CONFIDENCE. "FOCUS YOUR, EYES! FOCUS YOUR, MIND. FOCUS YOUR, HEAD. BODY, ALRIGHT, YOU GUYS STAND UP. OK." CAMERON SPIVA IS OUT FRONT IN THIS CLASS. FACING OLD FEARS. CLIP 89 FACE THE FRONT ...FACE THE FRONT CAMERON WAS THE TARGET OF A BULLY AT HIS OLD SCHOOL. MADE FUN OF FOR CARRY HIS BOOK BAG EVERYWHERE. "I DIDN'T WANT TO BE LATE FOR CLASS SO I CARRIED MY BOOK BAG AROUND AND STUFF." MARTIAL ARTS INSTRUCTOR MASTER CHAN LEE THINKS ONE OF THE REASONS KIDS GET BULLIED IS BECAUSE OTHER KIDS SEE THEM AS WEAK. "THERE'S AN IMAGINARY SYMBOL ABOVE OUR HEAD, RIGHT UH, DO YOU REMEMBER THE MATH SYMBOLS, LESS THAN, GREATER THAN OR EQUAL TOO? AND WHEN YOU SHAKE SOMEONE'S HAND, IN ABOUT FIVE OR TEN SECONDS, WE SUBCONSCIOUSLY DECIDE, ARE YOU GREATER THAN ME? ARE YOU EQUAL? OR ARE YOU LESS THAN?" LEE SAYS LEARNING SELF DEFENSE CAN CHANGE THAT PERCEPTION.. HE SAYS KIDS IN HIS CLASS BUILD THEIR SELF ESTEEM AND CONFIDENCE. AND THAT HELPS THEM SEE THEMSELVES DIFFERENTLY. "YOU ARE, YOU ARE... WHAT YOU LOOK LIKE, WHAT YOU LOOK LIKE. ONE MORE TIME, SAY IT, YOU ARE...YOU ARE... WHAT YOU LOOK LIKE... WHAT YOU LOOK LIKE." SEVENTH GRADER KAYLA BUTLER SAYS THAT MASTER LEE IS RIGHT ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS BETWEEN STUDENTS. "IT'S CERTAIN PEOPLE IN THE CLASSROOM, YOU KNOW LIKE, IT'S LIKE SOME PEOPLE SEEM LIKE THEY LIKE ARCH ENEMIES IN THE CLASSROOM LIKE NO ONE LIKES THEM AND THEY LIKE CALL THEM LIKE CRY BABIES AND THEY SAY THEY IRRITATING AND THEY TALK TOO MUCH AND STUFF LIKE THAT." PARENTS BRING THEIR KIDS TO MASTER LEE WHEN THEY WANT TO LEARN WAYS TO DEFEND THEMSELVES PHYSICALLY. AND HE DOES TEACH KIDS FORCE OPTIONS, LIKE BLOCKING AND AVOIDING .. CLIP 1725 O9:21:50 .BUT LEE SAYS VIOLENCE IS NOT ALWAYS THE ANSWER...VERBAL DEFENSE, USING WORDS TO DE- ESCALATE CONFLICT IS THE BETTER CHOICE. "THE NUMBER ONE THING THAT WE WANT TO DO IS DEVELOP WHAT WE CALL A EMOTIONAL GUARD. SO WE WANT THE KIDS TO MAKE SURE WHEN THESE THINGS HAPPEN THE NEXT DAY THAT THEY'RE ABLE TO NOT GET EMOTIONAL." TEACHER JILL BELL, WHO TAKES THE CLASS WITH HER STUDENTS, SAYS MANY OF THE SKILLS THEY LEARN HERE, SHE REINFORCES IN THE CLASSROOM. "IT DOESN'T STOP ALL THE BULLYING, BUT IT SURE DOES HELP AND IT'S A THINKING POINT AND IT DOES BRING THEM BACK TO REALITY." THE REALITY FOR KAYLA BUTLER IS THE CLASS IS A WAY TO BLOCK OLD BEHAVIORS AND DEVELOP NEW SELF CONFIDENCE. "I'VE BEEN NICER TO EVERYBODY SO IT SEEMS LIKE NOW IT'S STARTING TO BOTHER ME BECAUSE I SEE THAT I USED TO DO IT AND NOW WHEN I SEE OTHER PEOPLE DO IT, IT'S, IT KIND OF BOTHERS ME." IT ALSO BOTHERS CAMERON, WHO SAYS BEFORE THIS CLASS, HE MIGHT NOT HAVE JUMPED IN TO DEFEND OTHERS AGAINST BULLIES. "I'M GOING TO CHANGE THAT, I REALLY WANT TO CHANGE THAT SO IF I SEE SOMEONE GETTING BULLIED, I'M GOING TO STEP RIGHT IN TO STOP THE BULLYING FROM HAPPENING." LEE SAYS HE TAKES PRIDE IN SEEING KIDS LEARN WHAT TO SAY AND HOW TO RESPOND . CLIP 1709 09:07:35 LIKE THAT READY GO... HI -YAH...THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT STANDING WITH MORE CONFIDENCE. READY TO MEET EACH OTHER AS EQUALS. MASTER LEE BELIEVES IF A CHILD IS PASSIVE ABOUT A BULLYING SITUATION, IT'S JUST GOING TO KEEP HAPPENING. HE SAYS IF THEY ARE TOO AGGRESSIVE, THAT COULD ESCALATE TO A PHYSICAL SITUATION. SO HE TELLS RTS AND STUDENTS, TO FIND THE HAPPY MEDIUM BETWEEN ASSERTIVENESS AND CONFIDENCE. MASTER LEE TOLD THEMA, ANY ACTIVITY THAT BUILDS A STRONGER SENSE OF SELF-- BE IT CHESS CLUB, GYMNASTICS, MUSIC OR THEATER